Disaster welfare and support team volunteer

Our disaster welfare and support teams respond to emergencies in communities across New Zealand.

Our disaster welfare and support team members, like Gypsy, help their communities make it through emergencies safely.

Our disaster welfare and support teams are made up of highly committed, multi-skilled emergency service volunteers. They have a wide variety of professional backgrounds, delivering essential services during and immediately following a disaster.

Team members train regularly. They will mostly train and respond to emergencies in their local area, but may travel throughout New Zealand supporting other Red Cross teams when needed. Our response teams are trained in a variety of skills, from first aid to ground-based rescue, which benefit both themselves and the New Zealand community.

You'll find our teams in our state-of-the-art disaster welfare and support vehicles, providing support and disaster services to affected communities. You’ll find them in Civil Defence centres – they’re the friendly faces looking after you and your family – and you’ll find them on the ground, mucking in and getting on with the job.

New Zealand Red Cross Incorporated is a registered charity with the New Zealand Charities Commission (CC21860), making you eligible for a tax refund of up to a third of your donation. All transactions are billed in New Zealand dollars.